Here are the B-asics
Our buckets are minimal (B-asic) or decorated (Bee-autiful or B-old), with pollinators and native plants or educational messages. Our bucket systems are easy and economical! Once installed, they require quick monthly maintenance (no more than 5 minutes!) — just add part of a dunk (about 50 cents per bucket) — and they can be used year after year. If you are concerned about remembering the schedule for replenishing them – don’t worry – we’ll remind you via email.
Here is how they work:
bucket + dunk (Bti disk) + water + grass + lid + optional stick and stones
Our buckets use a mosquito-specific toxin, Bti (Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis), which is a naturally occurring bacterium found in soil and known to kill mosquito larvae; it does not affect the adult mosquitoes but it prevents eggs from developing. Water and grass clippings (or other yard waste) decompose to attract female mosquitoes, who lay eggs in the water. The lids keep critters (squirrels, chipmunks, pets out. Other insects may still make their way into the water into the bucket can climb out, unharmed (though we don’t recommend sticks for yards with children). We do recommend stones for any yards that might have large pets or active kids; they add extra weight to keep the buckets upright, and thus functional.
Why Choose Buckets over Sprays?
Mosquito buckets with Bti are the only effective method of mosquito control that is also safe for pollinators and insects, birds, and aquatic life, all of whom are harmed by abatement sprays. Please be wary of the mosquito buckets from pesticide companies; all those we know of, at least in Atlanta, use synthetic chemicals,the same pyrethroids sprayed on yards and harmful for pollinators. See our blog posts for more details.
All spray applications—even “natural” and “organic”—risk drifting, spreading to unintended areas, nearby plants and lawns, even neighboring yards, consumed and traversed by other creatures, including pets and people. Most abatement spraying or fogging systems are applying pyrethroids, synthetic chemicals related to BUT NOT pyrethrins, which are derived from chrysanthemum flowers.
Let us be clear: pyrethrins and pyrethroids are not identical. We have experience with local companies claiming their products “green,” that they use “geranium oil” or “botanical sprays,” language that suggests sustainability and safety but masks the actual chemical compositions, especially tricky business as such terms can refer to the sites of application (they typically spray on foundation plants and shrubs), not the components. When in doubt, ask for their Safety Data Sheets. In our opinion, it is not enough (though it is best practice), for mosquito abatement companies not to spray flowering plants. The sprays are still killing bees, and butterflies, and birds, and other life. Just don’t do it. Choose buckets!
According to entomologist Doug Tallamy, commercial mosquito sprays–-popular, expensive, toxic methods of reduction–-only kill about 10% of adult mosquitoes. Mosquito buckets, in sufficient numbers and effective locations, eliminate up to 85% of larvae, addressing the problem at its source, in ways much safer and sustainable for all of us.
If you would prefer to make your own buckets, we are offering instructions and sources.
